Apple Registers Several New Mac and iPad Models in Eurasia

Apple has registered new tablets and Macs with the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) this week, indicating that refreshes could be on the horizon. The filings, uncovered by French website Consomac, are legally required for any devices with encryption sold in Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia.

The five Mac model numbers are A1931, A1932, A1988, A1989 and A1990, indicating two distinct ranges. The last three numbers may relate to expected refreshes for the 13-inch MacBook Pro (with and without Touch Bar) and the 15-inch MacBook Pro, while the first two could reference a refreshed 12-inch MacBook and a potential replacement for the aging MacBook Air, which Apple has been gradually phasing out.

Apple is rumored to be planning to introduce the new entry-level 13-inch MacBook in the second half of 2018, which would serve as a replacement for the MacBook Air. Details have been scant about the rumored machine, but it could turn out to belong to the 12-inch MacBook family, and the model numbers A1931 and A1932 potentially reflect this.

It's not known what the rumored 13-inch MacBook would be priced at, but the MacBook Air sells for $999, a price point Apple has thus far been unable to match with the 12-inch MacBook and the MacBook Pro.

The five new iPad model numbers are harder to decipher, but Apple is expected to launch new models of iPad Pro later this year featuring slimmer edges, a faster processor, a custom Apple-built GPU, and a TrueDepth camera with support for Face ID.

One report has claimed one of the new iPad Pro models will have a display that measures in at approximately 11 inches, which is in line with reports suggesting the device could have slimmer bezels.

Perhaps the most curious details in the EEC filing are the OS references, with macOS 10.13 and iOS 11 given for the Mac and iPad models, respectively. It's conceivable Apple could refresh its Mac line before macOS Mojave is ready, but launching new iPad Pro models before the launch of iOS 12 seems less likely, given the number of features Apple is introducing in the new OS to accommodate iPads with Face ID and no Home button.

However, strings of code have been found in iOS 11 referring to a "modern iPad", which mirrors the "modern iPhone" nomenclature Apple used to refer to the iPhone X ahead of its release, so nothing is certain.

Reliable keyboard with key travel and are quiet. An honest 10+ hour battery life. Ports on the pro model. Decent resolution.

Honestly, look back to the older models your pros miss and lament and put in modern components. We don’t need thinner laptops for no reason.

And get serious about MacOS. We all know you folded the MacOS group into the iPhone group, and it shows in the lack of innovation and bugs.

I’m tired of almost every respected pro I know switching to Surfaces or at least considering it. And Windows, while still isn’t great, is getting better, and it’s doing so quickly. Your stagnation in the Mac line has not been ignored by Google, Microsoft, and Adobe.

If no powerful Mac desktops are to be seen, not interested. I don't need or want an underpowered overpriced laptop without ports... My rMBP 15" (late 2013) is so far the best portable Mac product they've released for my needs. My clients have MB 12" (2016) and MBP 13" (2017) models, and boy have they regretted replacing their MB airs with them.

Is Apple doing all their Mac profits from dongles these days? Tim Cook must be so excited about a product category with above 90% profit rate.

And Apple better give us iPad Mini 5 (or rebranded iPad SE) or iPad Pro mini... otherwise there will be one iPad user less in our household.

Having used Apple Macs exclusively for around 15 years, I'm getting really fed up with the product decisions (or the lack thereof) for their computing line, and feeling like Oliver asking the mighty Apple for "some more please".

I really do hope the updates are well thought out and meaty ones, and not just more meaningless, minor spec bumps. I don't want it to be the straw that breaks the back.

Finally we start seeing some hints of a refresh around the corner. Apple has been neglecting the Mac line-up for too long already. I hope we also see some keyboard improvements. I honestly don't think they will launch the MacBook(s) alongside the new iPads. Since they clearly advertise the iPads to be a PC replacement. It would be weird to launch a laptop (new MacBook 13'') that is just a little bit more expensive than the iPad Pro at the same event...

Why are Apple so reluctant to bring back an entry-level Mac to kick-start the interest in the Mac Platform again? A new Mac Mini would pack enough power these days to be a super little replacement for what could have passed as being high-end Macs from not all that long ago, relatively speaking - obviously without the expansion possibilities (and no doubt the internal upgradability!), but as long as it was priced right for the spec, in a couple of years' time, the step-up effect would start and they'd be shifting proper amounts of iMacs (or whatever it is going to be in the future). It's how I started with my G4 Mini many many moons ago.

The only reason to regret buying a new MacBook Pro instead of keeping an old MacBook Air is money. I have a MacBook Pro 2017 and can't imagine having to use a MacBook Air. They're horrible.

For my clients daily use, MB 12" is slow... or suffers from occasional hiccups, compared to Air 13" they had before. Could be the retina, that has more than three times the pixels in addition to the lousy CPU/iGPU. And boy the dongles have been a mess. We had to wait several months to Apple to fix their OS in this regards, because after wakeup, the Apple dongle had to be unplugged and put back in order it worked. And when they bought 12" MB, it didn't work with the Magic Mouse's they already had. So they had to replace every mouse. It was a software bug in the OS, that was fixed later, but they needed a working solution right away. And then the keyboard... keys stuck sometimes.

The MBP 13" 2017 didn't work with the USB type-c displays they had. The laptop gets power and USB-ports from the display, but does not show a picture. So... the second USB C port have to be used as well. So much for a simple one cable solution the MBP was bought in the first place.

Both models were extremely expensive and poor quality. My client is really thinking, that those were the last Macs they had. Some users have been requesting MB air 13" instead of the 12" models for their daily tasks. There's not a single portable Mac model out there I could recommend them today. Macbook air 13" and MBP 15" 2015 model are the only quality products that Apple sells today. The rest are bad quality dongle-he**'s.

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